Baked Tofu Chicken Nuggets

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These tofu chicken nuggets are the ultimate comfort food. Baked to crispy perfection, these vegan chicken nuggets are healthy and a great source of plant-based protein. Adult and kid-friendly!

Vegan Tofu Chicken Nuggets

I’m a big nugget lover. One of my favorite parts about visiting my mom’s house is that her freezer is always stocked with a family sized pack of vegan chicken nuggets. But as much as I love Gardein and their magical meat alternatives, I love cooking my own food even more. So let’s make some vegan nuggets y’all!

I’ve tried several chicken nugget recipes using tofu in the past, and let me tell ya – none of them have any flavor to them! Thank goodness for ketchup, because eating a piece of unmarinated tofu covered in breadcrumbs is not the tastiest thing in the world. It’s just blah.

But today I am sharing with you a tofu chicken nugget recipe that actually has flavor to it, as well as some tips to getting a chewy, chicken-y texture in your nuggets. Yum!!!

Ingredients

• Extra firm tofu: frozen, thawed, and pressed
• Vegan chicken broth: I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Base, but you can also sub with vegetable broth
• Nutritional yeast
• Spices: garlic powder, onion powder, sage, paprika, and salt
• Unsweetened non-dairy milk: I used almond milk
• All purpose flour
• Panko breadcrumbs: make sure that they are vegan

Can I make these tofu nuggets gluten-free?

I have not tested it, but I imagine you could sub the all purpose flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend, and sub the panko breadcrumbs for gluten-free breadcrumbs.

How to make tofu chicken nuggets

Start by prepping your tofu. For this nugget recipe, I highly recommend freezing, thawing, and pressing your tofu for the best texture!

Why you should freeze your tofu

I do not recommend freezing tofu for every recipe, but it works really well for these tofu nuggets. Tofu is full of water and when that water is frozen, it expands to create little pockets of ice throughout the tofu block. Those pockets of ice melt when thawed, leaving behind little holes that make the tofu quite chewy, which is perfect for chicken nuggets.

How to freeze tofu

To freeze: place the entire unopened package of tofu in the freezer for two hours, or until solid. To thaw: place frozen tofu in the fridge for about a day, or on the counter for a couple of hours. If in a rush, you can put the tofu package into a pot of warm water or microwave until thawed. Once thawed, press the tofu for at least 20 minutes before marinating it.

Marinate the tofu

After freezing, thawing, and pressing the tofu, rip it into nugget-sized chunks. You can also cut it with a knife, but I find ripping it gives it a nice organic shape similar to real chicken nuggets. Mix marinade ingredients in a container with a lid or a sealable bag. Add the tofu and marinate for at least 30 minutes, shaking it half way through for even marination.

Batter, bread, and bake

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the batter ingredients until smooth. In a separate bowl, stir together the breadcrumb mixture ingredients. Dip each tofu nugget one at a time into the batter, letting any excess batter drip off. Then roll in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated.

Place on a lined baking tray, and spray with a little oil before baking for extra crispiness. Bake for 40 mins, flipping half way through.

Serve with ketchup, vegan ranch, or your favorite sauce. Also, fries. Duh.

How long do they keep?

These tofu nuggets are best served straight out of the oven, but leftovers will last 3-4 days in the fridge. I do not think these would freeze very well.

How to reheat vegan chicken nuggets

Reheat nuggets in the oven at 350 F until heated through. You can also reheat in the toaster oven or air fryer, but microwaving them will make them mushy.

More vegan comfort food recipes

• The Best Vegan Garbage Plate
• Vegan BBQ Cauliflower Tacos
• Vegan Mushroom Philly Cheesesteak Egg Rolls
• Vegan White Bean Mac and Cheese
• Meaty Vegan TVP Chili

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